Combined chair and couch.



llllL PATENTED JUNE 23,1903. L. A.-ERIGKSON. COMBINED GHAIR AND 000.011.

APPLICATION FILED MAE. 7.}908.

LABS A. ERIOKSON,'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED CHAIR AND COUCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1908.

Application filed March 7, 1908. Serial No. 419,703.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LARS A. ERICKSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Chair and Couch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a combined chair and couch, and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation of the parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a piece of furniture which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, strong, durable, and effective in operation, and so made that it may be used as a chair, or when desired, converted into a couch or lounge by simply extending certain parts thereof in which position they will be strongly and securely supported.

Another object of the invention is to provide a convertible chair of the above-named character, which will require no looks or catches to hold the members either in their collapsed positions when forming a chair or in their extended positions when forming a couch.

Still another object is to provide the convertible chair with a receptacle in which bed clothes may be deposited when not required on the couch.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains, to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawing, in which- 1 Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a combined chair and couch embodying-the invention, showing the parts by continuous lines in the positions they will occupy when forming a couch and by dotted lines the positions they will occupy when forming a chair; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, showing the parts in the positions they will occupy when. collapsed or forming a chair; and Fig. 3 is a fragmental view in side elevation of portions of the seat and chair-back, showing the manner of hinging the same together.

Like numerals of reference, refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawing.

The reference numeral 5 designates the main or stationary frame, which is rectangular in shape and is provided with supportinglegs 6 at each of its corners. 011 the inner surface of each of the sides of the main frame 5 is formed or provided a horizontally extending rib 7 to coact with grooves in the movable supporting-member, as will be presently explained. The main frame 5 is provided at each of its sides with an armrest 8 which may be covered with suitable material or upholstered, if desired, and extend from the front end of the frame 5 to the rear end thereof.

Mounted on the top of. the frame 5 is the chair-seat-frame 9, which is rectangular in shape and of a size to occupy the major part of the top of the frame 5, that is to say, when in position on the frame 5 it will extend from the front thereof rearwardly, but terminating some distance inwardly from the rear portion of the main frame, as will be clearly understood by reference to Fig. l of the drawing.

The bottom of the frame 9 is provided with spaced apart transverse slats 10 on which springs 11 for the upholstering 12 which covers the seat-frame are su ported. The seat-frame 9 is provided at tie rear end of each of its sides with a hinge-member 13 which has an upwardly extending portion 14 pivotally secured to a correspondingly extended portion on a hinge-member 13 secured to each side of the lower or front end of the frame 15 of the chair-back, which frame is of the same shape and construction as the seatframe 9 and above described, except that it is somewhat longer so as to provide a comparatively high back for the chair. The rear end of the frame 15 of the chair-back is secured to the front end of the'supportingframe 16 of the chair-back by means of hinges 17, of the ordinary or any preferred construction, which are preferably secured to the lower surfaces when in their extended positions of the rear cross-piece of the frame 15 and the front cross-piece of the frame 16, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The su porting-frame 16 is of the same shape and construction as the frames 9 and 15, and has its rear end secured to the rear upper portion of the movable supportingframe 18 by means of hinges 19, of the ordinary or any preferred construction. The slidable or movable sup orting-frame 18 is rectangular in shape and is of sufficient size to fit snugly between the sides 5 and legs 6 of the main-frame, and has at each of its corners supporting-legs 20 which are adapted when the parts are in their collapsed positions as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, to be concealedby the legs 6 of the main-frame. The upper portion of the movable or slidable member 18 is provided on each of its sides with a horizontally extending groove 21 to receive the guiding ribs 7 on the inner surfaces of the sides 5' of the main-frame, and each of these grooves may be provided with a metal lining 22 to protect them from wear incident to the movement of the member 18 back and forth in converting the chair into a couch or vice versa. The upper portion of the member 18 is also provided with a compartment 23 for the reception of a drawer 24 in which the couch-cover or bed-clothing may be placed.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawing it will be understood and clearly seen that when the parts are in the positions shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing a comfortable and easy chair will be formed, the back-frame 15 of whlch will be positively and rigidly supported in the desired position without the use of locks or catches by means of the back supporting frame 16 and movableor slidable member 18 which will occupy, when the parts form a chair, a concealed position within the mainframe. When it is desired to convert the chair into a couch or lounge it is only necessary to slide the member 18 from the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 to that shown by continuous lines in said figure, in which operation it is evident that the frames 15 and 16 will be brought down to a horizontal position and that the front portion of the frame 15 will be supported by the upper rear portion of the main-frame while its rear part will be supported by the upper front part of the member 17, and that said member will also support the frame 16 in a horizontal position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

The combination with a hollow main frame having its rear end open and rovided on the inner surface of each of its si es with a horizontally extending rib, of a seat-frame mounted on the upper portion of the main frame and terminating at a distance from the rear end thereof, a chairback-frame pivotally supported at the upper portion of each of its front corners on the rear end of the seatframe and adapted to rest when in a horizontal position on the upper rear portion of the main frame, a slidable member adapted to fit in the hollow of the main frame and having on the outer surface of each of its sides a horizontally extending groove to receive the ribs on the main frame, a supporting-frame for the chair-back-frame hinged at its rear end to the rear upper portion of the slidable member and at its other end to the lower portion of the rear end of the back-frame, said supporting-frame terminating at a distance from the front end of the slidable member and adapted when in a horizontal posi- 'tion to rest on the upper surface of said member, the said chair-back-frame'also adapted to rest when in a horizontal position on the upper surface of the front portion of the slidable member.

LABS A. ERIOKSON. lVitnesses CHAs. C. TILLMAN, M. A. NYMAN. 

